St Johnstone 0 Celtic 6: Idah completes rout after Kyogo (2), Maeda, Bernardo, McGregor strikes as Hoops go 9 in a row
BRENDAN RODGERS urged his players to produce a Champions League-style display and how they responded to him.
Celtic were scintillating with their exhibition play and fabulous finishing.
Two-goal Kyogo Furuhashi, Paulo Bernardo, Callum McGregor, Daizen Maeda and sub Adam Idah all got on the score-sheet as the Hoops returned to the top of the Premiership on goal difference following Aberdeen’s earlier victory.
They also had a first half Maeda strike harshly ruled out by ref Don Robertson after he was advised to check it by VAR man Alan Muir.
It was a ninth successive competitive victory for the champions and sixth consecutive league clean sheet - now it's Borussia Dortmund next up in the biggest club competition of them all.
Poor Saints can’t get their new manager confirmed quickly enough – with Larne boss Tiernan Lynch on the verge of being confirmed.
The Verdict
Star man Paulo Bernardo gets his goal to cap another fine performance
How they rated
ST JOHNSTONE: Ross Sinclair 6, Andre Raymond 6, Kyle Cameron 3, Jack Sanders 5, Lewis Neilson 5, Nicky Clark 4, Graham Carey 6, Drey Wright 5, Matt Smith 5, Sven Sprangler5, Makenzie Kirk 5
SUBS: Aaron Essel (Cameron, 34) 4; Cammy MacPherson (Clark, 58) 4; David Keltjens (Raymond, 73) 3; Josh McPake (Kirk, 73) 3
CELTIC: Kasper Schmeichel 7, Alistair Johnston 8, Greg Taylor 6, Liam Scales 8, Auston Trusty 8, Kyogo Furuhashi 8, Nicolas Kuhn 8, Arne Engels 8, Paulo Bernardo 9, Daizen Maeda 8, Callum McGregor 8
SUBS: Alex Valle (Taylor, 45) 5, Adam Idah (Furuhashi, 65) 6, James Forrest (Kuhn, 65) 5, Reo Hatate (Engels, 65) 5, Luke McCowan (McGregor, 75) 5.
MAN OF THE MATCH
Celtic were absolutely at their dazzling best, playing like the football equivalent of basketball’s famed Harlem Globetrotters and they had so many contenders for man of the match. But goal-scorer Paulo Bernardo gets the award for an all-round brilliant midfield performance. Brendan Rodgers used all five subs as he tried to be sensible ahead of Tuesday night’s Champions League game against Borussia Dortmund. But he kept on Bernardo and the Portuguese played like he owned the place.
MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Don Robertson had an action-packed game with VAR keeping him busy. Studio colleague Alan Muir sent him to the monitor to eventually rule out a Daizen Maeda volley and then thereafter there were a number of Celtic’s goals subject to offside checks which survived. Robertson also booked Maeda and Smith. Reasonable game from the whistler.
MEN IN THE DUGOUT
Brendan Rodgers was left thrilled by a fabulous Celtic performance in Perth as they delivered the perfect confidence booster ahead of Dortmund. Goals galore and wonderful performances all over the pitch while Rodgers was also able to take off key men to protect them for the Champions League. But for Saints caretaker boss Andy Kirk it was utterly deflating. Probably his last game at the helm with Tiernan Lynch poised to be confirmed as Craig Levein’s successor.
Rodgers insisted after last week’s Premier Sports Cup win over Falkirk it’s not generally his style to make as many changes as he did – but it was still wholesale in Perth.
It was eight against the Bairns and now it was seven for the return to the Premiership just 72-hours before they tackle Borussia Dortmund in Germany in the Champions League.
And it was the big guns Rodgers brought back into his starting line-up, including Arne Engels, Nicolas Kuhn, Maeda and Furuhashi.
Crocked Cameron Carter-Vickers sat out, though, with the £6 million Auston Trusty forming a new central partnership with Liam Scales.
Saints had Graham Carey back for Jason Holt as they chased the biggest shock in the Premiership so far this season.
It would prove to be a remarkable game for Celtic – magnificent goals and general play.
VAR official Muir would also feature prominently.
Saints – who had lost four of their opening league fixtures - actually defended the opening 35 minutes well before an incredible first half collapse.
Five minutes had gone when Celts captain McGregor produced a superb reverse ball into the box which caught out the Saints defence and Maeda raced in.
The Japanese winger attempted a touch across for a waiting Furuhashi but home keeper Ross Sinclair got down to smother. Maeda was offside in any case.
Furuhashi got in behind Jack Sanders to an Alistair Johnston ball but just as the striker about to shoot the Saints stopper got a block in for a corner.
Saints had a brief moment on the counter involving Matt Smith and Makenzie Kirk to win a corner from which Sanders headed over. But it was a rare attack.
Celtic, oozing confidence, hogged possession.
McGregor delivered another great ball in behind for Furuhashi whose shot was beaten away by Sinclair for Kuhn to follow up with a shot into the side-netting. It was two big chances.
Then Furuhashi couldn’t get enough contact on the ball at close range after it broke out to him.
A goal looked inevitable and Celtic thought they had it in the 25th minute – only for VAR to intervene against them and it looked a poor call.
Engels’ free-kick to Kuhn saw the winger go across the box before attempting a left foot shot which was blocked and spun up in the air for Maeda to unleash a 14-yard left foot volley into the roof of the net.
But ref Don Robertson was quickly alerted by studio colleague Muir to an off-the-ball incident which had left Graham Carey decked.
TV footage appeared to show Carey running into Trusty and bouncing off him to hit the ground.
But after racing across to check the screen Robertson deemed it a Trusty foul and the goal was ruled out.
Ten minutes from the break, though, the Hoops did get on the mark – and it was a fine goal.
Kuhn’s precise header forward found Furuhashi who raced clear and showed great composure before firing past Sinclair.
Whistler Robertson briefly stopped the game in the 42nd minute after seemingly being alerted by Celts’ left-back Greg Taylor to a mystery issue. Robertson jogged across to inform Celtic boss Rodgers of it.
Taylor, interestingly, didn’t appear for the second half.
Moments after Robertson’s intervention, Celtic made it 2-0 in sensational style – with an 11-pass move involving nine players, starting with Kasper Schmeichel, culminating in a dazzling Bernardo finish from 22-yards.
It was a breath-taking goal, almost on a par with Celtic’s 2017 effort here by Moussa Dembele which came after 24 passes.
Now the Hoops would be absolutely unstoppable.
It became 3-0 in the 45th minute – another exquisite passing move ultimately leading to a Taylor cross being headed home effortlessly by Furuhashi 10-yards out for his fourth goal of the season.
It survived a VAR check for offside.
Taylor had a shot saved by Sinclair in added time as weary Saints craved a breather.
Two minutes into the second half Celtic broke up the pitch – sparked by a superb Engels pass – and Furuhashi shot over.
Celtic, though, got a fourth in the 54th minute – McGregor shooting home from 20-yards, his low effort fizzing through several bodies and leaving an unsighted Sinclair rooted.
It was the midfielder’s fourth goal of the season – all of them from outside the box.
Relentless Celtic were not for easing up, Engels sending Kuhn through only for Sinclair to bravely deny him.
But goal number five arrived in the 72nd minute – Bernardo’s pinpoint cross emphatically headed home by Maeda.
Six minutes from the end Celts replacement Idah strode on to a flick on from fellow sub Alex Valle to stroke the ball beyond Sinclair, with a VAR check later clearing it.
Then in the final moments sub Luke McCowan hit the post before seconds later also forcing Sinclair into a fine diving save.
Celtic were simply sublime – now for Dortmund.
- Celtic XI: Schmeichel, Johnston, Trusty, Scales, Taylor, McGregor (C), Bernardo, Engels, Kühn, Maeda, Kyogo. Subs: Sinisalo, Idah, Valle, Yang, McCowan, Nawrocki, Hatate
- St Johnstone XI: Sinclair, Raymond, Cameron (C), Sanders, Neilson, Clark, Carey, Wright, Smith, Sprangler, Kirk. Subs: Rae, MacPherson, Essel, Kucheriavji, McPake, Keltjens, McCrystal, Franczak, Dair